Elle Fanning

Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress who began performing as a young child and developed into a leading performer in independent film, studio fantasy, period drama, and television. Born in Conyers, Georgia, she is the younger sister of actress Dakota Fanning. Her family moved to the Los Angeles area as Dakota's career grew, and Elle Fanning began acting before school age, first playing younger versions of her sister's characters in I Am Sam and the television miniseries Taken.

Fanning quickly built a career independent of her sister. As a child actor, she appeared in Daddy Day Care, The Door in the Floor, Because of Winn-Dixie, Babel, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Phoebe in Wonderland. She also performed voice work, including the English-language dub of My Neighbor Totoro. Her transition from child roles to more prominent dramatic parts was helped by Sofia Coppola's Somewhere and J. J. Abrams's Super 8, both of which brought her wider attention in the early 2010s.

During her teenage years, Fanning became known for combining mainstream and independent projects. She starred in Ginger & Rosa, played Princess Aurora in Disney's Maleficent and its sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and appeared in films including The Boxtrolls, Trumbo, 20th Century Women, The Neon Demon, Live by Night, The Beguiled, How to Talk to Girls at Parties, Mary Shelley, Teen Spirit, Galveston, and All the Bright Places. These roles ranged from fantasy princesses and historical figures to contemporary coming-of-age characters and stylized genre leads. Her choices often paired youth-oriented visibility with directors known for distinctive visual or dramatic styles.